As much as it is dissected by scouts and analyzed statistically by math nerds, the game tends to twist and turn in unanticipated directions.

It’s kind of like the weather in Michigan that way.

And so it went Opening Day at Comerica Park Monday. After the worst winter in memory came the nicest afternoon possible for the Tigers’ opener. Yeah, even though it was a week earlier than it used to be, in fact before March even turned to April.

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Also, the Tigers’ won, downing the Kansas City Royals 4-3, in the most improbable manner.

Kansas City’s bullpen was the best in the American League last season. The Tigers bullpen is allegedly mediocre. You know, like it was in 2013.

The topper was veteran shortstop Alex Gonzalez, acquired off the proverbial scrap heap by the Tigers because Jose Iglesias is out the year with leg fractures.

Gonzalez tied the game with a triple up the left-center field gap in the seventh inning. He won it with a lined, walk-off single in the ninth.

He is 37 years old and hit .177 for the Milwaukee Brewers last season. His WAR (Wins Above Replacement), the Sabermetrics number, which measures his overall value as a player, was minus 1.2.

Don’t understand Sabermetrics? Well, OK. He’s a simple explanation for what it says about Gonzalez’s performance in 2013: It was really, really bad.

In 2012, he played in just 24 games.

In fairness, Gonzalez has been an All-Star. He was selected for the National League All Star squad once while with the Marlins.

Problem is, it was in 1999 and so was Barry Larkin. Bill Clinton was president. Comerica Park hadn’t opened yet. The Tigers’ opening day starting pitcher was Brian Moehler. Brad Ausmus, the Tigers’ first-year manager, was their starting catcher. He also played in the All-Star Game that year.

In fact, Gonzalez is the only active player who can make that claim.

Nobody is expecting the offensive onslaught to continue from Gonzalez. The more promising aspect is the bullpen.

Evan Reed, a minor league journeyman in his late 20s, came out of the bullpen replacing starter Justin Verlander and immediately lit up the radar gun at 98 mph.

He pitched well for the Tigers last season. The Tigers’ are still scratching their heads collectively, yet thankfully, the Marlins released Reed at the end of spring training in ’12. He pitched well last year at Triple-A Toledo, and probably should have stuck in the major leagues, rather than get caught up in a numbers game, during a couple brief, yet very effective, stints with the Tigers.

He threw 95 mph last year, but has made his delivery more compact and worked hard on his slider. Reed isn’t talked about enough. He looks like he might be pretty good.

“He came out in Day One of spring training throwing harder and with a better slider,” Tigers’ pitching coach Jeff Jones said. “And he was pretty good for us last year when we gave him a chance. You could tell he was very determined to make the club and contribute.”

Al Albuquerque still won’t throw his fastball with any degree of regularity, but that was all right Monday. His slider got hitters out in the eighth. Joe Nathan did exactly what the Tigers’ signed him to a two-year, $20 million contract to accomplish. It was a 1-2-3 ninth for the Royals.

In the meantime, the Royals’ vaunted bullpen faltered.

Justin Verlander was fine in his opener. His fastball was crisp, his command solid. He was consistently in the mid-90s.

“It felt natural to throw that hard,” Verlander said. “Last year, sometimes, I felt like I was forcing it.”

The Tigers didn’t play good defense behind him (Gonzalez and right fielder Torii Hunter made errors on routine plays), but he got through six innings allowing only two earned runs (Kansas City also got an unearned run).

The Tigers need seven innings consistently from Verlander, though. That is the key number for their starters this season. The fact Tigers’ starting pitchers worked deeper into games than any other MLB rotation last season was a huge factor in coasting into the postseason. It allowed former manager Jim Leyland to milk his mediocre bullpen for all it was worth.

Ausmus could use the same edge.

“We’ve had our share of injuries to key players, but this is still a great ball club,” Verlander said. “I kept us in the ball game. Then we got a couple hits and the bullpen nailed it down.”

And it was a beautiful Opening Day for Tigers’ fans.

Unexpected in method and setting, but pleasing, nonetheless, in every way.